Return to Glory?
New Faces and Returning Faves Look to Bring Home Another Championship

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 31- As the college basketball season reaches its apex, the Final Four, the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is ready to begin in full force. Each team, except the two teams who began the season earlier in March in Australia, have a mark of 0-0.

Hopes are high in the Bronx as there are always expectations among Yankee fans that the team will reach the World Series or, at the least, qualify for the playoffs.

Great changes have been made since the conclusion of the 2013 season. Iconic figures have departed. Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in MLB history, retired. Andy Pettitte, a mainstay starter for 15 seasons with the Yankees, especially effective in the post-season, retired.

The controversial third sacker who has blasted more than 600 home runs, Alex Rodrigez, was suspended for the entire 2014 season by the Commissioner of Baseball. Robinson Cano, considered by many observers to be the best second baseman in the majors, signed a 10-year contract for $240 million with the Seattle Mariners. Starter Phil Hughes and reliever Joba Chamberlain signed with other teams as the Yankees showed little interest in signing them.

Last year’s injury riddled team finished the year with an 85-77 record and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The 2013 Yankees consisted of many reserves who were inserted into the starting lineup in the place of injured star players.

Stars always counted upon for consistency are returning from serious injuries. First baseman Mark Teixeira played only 15 games in 2013 after having suffered a wrist injury that required surgery. The team captain Derek Jeter played only 17 games last year after repeated ankle injuries. Jeter announced that 2014 will be his final season in the majors. He, obviously, will be making his usual supreme effort to lead his club to a successful year.

Four off-season free agent acquisitions with a combined cost of nearly $500 million are expected to strengthen in the club in a number of areas. For the first time since Jorge Posada was behind the plate, the Yankees have an outstanding offensive and defensive catcher with leadership qualities in Brian McCann. With an impressive Spring Training showing, Francisco Cervelli beat out Austin Romine and J.R. Murphy to be the back-up catcher.

Jacoby Ellsbury, formerly of the Red Sox, will be the lead-off hitter and center fielder for the team. Although he was out two weeks with an injury in March, the Yankees are hopeful he will play a full injury-free season.

Veteran Carlos Beltran will fill the position in right field. The former Met had envisioned playing with the Yankees years ago. If he remains as he has been the last few years, he will help the Yankees at bat and should also be a boon to the team in the clubhouse.

Brett Gardner, on the big club since 2008, recently signed a four -year extension for $52 million. Gardner, who has a similar skill set as Ellsbury, will fill the other outfield corner in left.

Veteran Ichiro Suzuki will serve as the fourth outfielder. Alfonso Soriano, who had an excellent season after signing with the Yankees last year will move from the outfield to be the designated hitter.

Kelly Johnson at third and Brian Roberts at second will join veteran Yankees Teixeira and Jeter in the infield. While they cannot be expected to replace Rodriguez and Cano at the plate, the experienced major leaguers should be more than adequate in the field.

The ace of the starting rotation, CC Sabathia, is hoping to rebound after a poor year. He has again lost weight, which could either be positive or negative. He appears to recognize that he needs to adjust to the loss of velocity on his fastball.

The second starter, Hiroki Kuroda, is coming off a disappointing second half of the 2013 season. The 39 year-old can benefit the Yankees by helping major league rookie Matsahiro Tanaka adjust to the majors and the United States.

The three young starters had outstanding springs. Tanaka was 2-0 with an excellent ERA in his appearances. Ivan Nova also pitched well. Michael Pineda, after missing two seasons with injuries, was recently named the fifth starter by Joe Girardi after an impressive Spring Training.

The key relief spot, closer, filled nearly perfectly by Marian Rivera will be given to David Robertson. Last year’s eighth inning specialist is hopeful of being as successful as he was on 2013 in his new role. The Yankees passed on signing several respected closers to replace Rivera.

Shawn Kelley and newcomer Jacob Thornton are expected to take over the eighth inning responsibilities. Other returning relievers include David Phelps, Dellin Betances, Cesar Cabral, and Adam Warren.

Will the 2014 version of the Yankees be sufficient to carry them into the playoffs? No one yet knows. Yankees personnel and fans certainly hope for and expect success.

BRONX, NEW YORK MARCH 27- This has happened more than once. A college coaching opportunity is available and the candidate has the supposed credentials to move up the ladder after building a program. In the case of Steve Masiello, who got the Manhattan College men’s basketball team back to the NCAA Tournament, he is a candidate of the latest embarrassment and greed of collegiate sports.

Yes, Masiello lied for an opportunity to land the head men’s basketball coaching job at the University of South Florida. His resume was inaccurate about being a graduate of the University of Kentucky. So, Tuesday it appeared he was moving on, and Wednesday morning he may be without a job.

The truth is, and lesson hopefully learned again, false information on a resume will eventually backfire and that applies for someone like Masiello. And a million dollar opportunity that was at hand now could leave him on the unemployment line.

The bad and, more so, sad aspect of this Masiello mess: Manhattan College has a dilemma. Do, the decision- makers at the school move ahead and begin the process of hiring a new coach, or do they forgive and forget? Another aspect, and it is obvious, how did responsible officials at Manhattan, who hired Masiello three years ago, bypass false information that USF was able to discover?

That aspect may never be known. Masiello was a perfect candidate to rebuild a men’s basketball program at the Metro Atlantic Conference affiliated college that is based in the Bronx, in a section known as Riverdale. He played under current Louisville coach Rick Pitino as a freshman at Kentucky in 1997.

He later learned more on the sidelines as an assistant coach for Pitino at Louisville. So, Masiello had the credentials to land a head coaching job. At Manhattan, Masiello compiled a 60-39 record in three years, and got the Jaspers to a first round game last week in the NCAA Men’s basketball Tournament losing to Pitino and Louisville.

Officials at Manhattan College could not be reached for comment, nor could Masiello. Though a source reached at the school said, “There was every indication that Steve had all the credentials to be here. This has been a shock to all of us as we wished Steve well.”

The source, when asked, did not comment regarding the future for Masiello as to whether his job at Manhattan would be open to him again. And that is something that would be subject to extensive review, because college coaching jobs require in most part credentials of an undergraduate degree or beyond.

In other words, success on the sidelines and compiling a respectable record at a mid-major school (Manhattan) and working under a successful coach, Pitino, does require more of a background check when it comes to credentials.

Perhaps the more significant issue here revolves around college coaches leaving a school to take another opportunity while under contract. In that case, as is with Masiello, the student/athletes become the victims. Those under scholarship and recruits are betrayed and left to consider other options.

Success can be an option, but it has to be accomplished the correct way. We see this time-and-time again. The reputation of college athletics is becoming more like professional sports and big business that includes mega-million contracts with cable television networks and for the coaches.

This is not only an issue for Manhattan College but the entire NCAA community of schools. There is a concern and this goes beyond the status of Steve Masiello and his future.

No Sooner is Manhattan Out of March Madness, Accepts Coaching Gig in Florida

By Howard Goldin

BRONX NEWS, MARCH 26- March Madness is in full swing. The Sweet 16 will begin play on Friday. The excitement is high in New York City as the Eastern Regional will be held in Madison Square Garden, the “Mecca of Basketball”. It is the first time since 1961 that the NCAA Tournament will be at MSG.Less than one week after the final game of the Jaspers for this season, reports were first heard at CBS Sports.com that Steve Masiello, the head coach of the Manhattan Jaspers, had accepted the head coaching position at the USF (University of South Florida). Those stories have since spread to many internet sites, newspapers, radio and television stations.Masiello is a product of the New York metropolitan area. He was born in White Plains and educated in that area through high school. His relationship with Rick Pitino drew him away from the Northeast on several occasions. He first worked with Pitino in the late 1980’s when Masiello was the ball boy with the Pitino coached New York Knicks.Masiello entered college at the University of Kentucky, where Pitino was the head basketball coach. Masiello, not greatly talented, but very gritty, was a walk-on. With Pitino’s encouragement Masiello began his coaching career after his graduation in 2000.He stayed in the South for his first post-college year as he served as administrative assistant at the University of Tulane. The next year, Masiello began the first of two tours at Manhattan College in the Bronx, where he was an assistant coach from 2001-5. The team improved during those few years and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004.Masiello’s mentor, Pitino, again attracted Masiello to the South the following year, when Masiello started a six-year tenure as one of Pitino’s assistant coaches at Louisville.With Pitino’s blessing, Massiello returned to Manhattan in 2011 to accept the head coaching job. The Japers made the biggest turnaround in college basketball as they finished 21-13 in Masiello’s first season at the helm. In the previous year, they had only been victors in only six games.The Jaspers this season automatically qualified for the NCAA by winning the MAAC Tournament with a defeat over Iona in the final. To the grave disappointment of both Masiello and Pitino, the teams of the two coaches met in a first round game in Orlando. The more talented Louisville Cardinals were victorious in a hard fought contest.Five days after that contest, it appears that Masiello is moving from the Bronx to Florida to coach USF. Stan Heath, the coach of USF for the past seven years, was fired on March 14. A search has been underway to hire a replacement. Heath compiled a very disappointing mark of 37-89 during those tears. A new Athletic Director, Mark Harlan, took office on Monday.It has been reported that Masiello asked the advice of his mentor who strongly encouraged him to take the USF job. Also, it was said that Chris Sullivan, the co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, and an important individual in Tampa, has been strongly supportive of Masiello’s hiring. Sullivan is a close confident of Pitino.It has been reported Masiello will earn $1,000,000 per year for a contract lasting five years. There are several candidates that will now be considered for the vacant coaching position at Manhattan.Get More Bronx News

BRONX NEWS, MARCH 24- The only team representing the Bronx in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, Fordham University, seeded 10th, played competitively throughout its first round contest against the seventh seeded California Lady Bears at Waco, Texas. A victor was not decided until the final seconds of the game.

The Lady Bears ran up their largest lead in the first half, six points, 13-7, with a three at 14:25. At that point, the Rams of Fordham began a 14-1 scoring run that raised their advantage to a game high of seven points, 21-14, at 7:51. The run was culminated by a three by Erin Rooney. After the last first half tie at 28, Fordham’s Emily Tapio sunk a basket that gave Fordham a 30-28 lead at the half.

During the second half, neither team displayed any intention to accept losing the contest. The score was knotted eight times and the lead changed hands on nine occasions.

Three of the lead changes took place during the final 31.5 seconds of play. With the Rams leading, 61-60, Afure Jemerigbe netted two free throw to give the Bears a 62-61 lead. The ball then was given to the star of each team, Erin Rooney of the Rams and Brittany Brown of the Bears to hopefully give her team a win. They are two of only three players in the NCAA this year who averaged at least 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

With 19 seconds on the clock, Rooney’s basket provided the Rams with a 63-62 advantage. Five seconds later, Brown’s layup gave the lead back to the Bears, 64-63. Rooney took the final shot of the game, but it was blocked by Reshanda Gray. The block was caused by a defensive switch made by Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

The two backcourt leaders of their teams played outstandingly and achieved double-doubles. Brown scored 22, 16 in the second half, dished 10 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. Rooney scored 17, hauled down 10 boards and passed for five assists.

Coach Stephanie Gaitley assessed the two, one day before the contest was played, “I think Erin is very disciplined. I think she is more of a disciplined guard and I think Brittany can really create her own shots and she does a great job of getting other people shots as well. In so many ways, what they both do for their teams is very similar.”

Although the Rams were narrowly edged in Saturday afternoon’s contest, their improvement since Gaitley assumed the head coaching position is remarkable. In the 2007-8 season, the Rams were 0-29. Under the helm of Gaitley for the past three seasons, Fordham has won 62 games, a Fordham record high of 25 in each of the last two years.

Two star Fordham seniors commented on the team’s rise. Rooney remarked, “I think it’s just nice to be able to put a school on the map. It’s a great school, and people, I think, think of it as more of an academic school, and to be part of a team that can put it out there in in the sporting world and get people to recognize it, it’s pretty special.”

Another Fordham senior, Abigail Corning, said, “It means a lot to be a part of the historical run that we’ve put together and really building our program up from obviously winning zero six years ago.”

Meaningful comments regarding Fordham were tweeted by Scarsdale native Lindsay Gottlieb, the classy and highly successful coach of Cal, “Major credit and kudos to @Fordham WBB. Well coached is an understatement. [They are] excellent players with a winning attitude.”

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 21- Neither the Manhattan Jaspers nor the Louisville Cardinals traveled to Orlando, Florida to visit Walt Disney World. The 13th seeded Jaspers were given the unenviable task of trying to eliminate the defending national champion Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Although ranked 5th in the nation, Louisville was only selected to be a 4th seed in the tourney. The coach of Louisville, the experienced Rick Pitino did not complain about the seeding of his team, but was vocal in his displeasure of facing Manhattan, “The matchups don’t make sense to me. It’s not ok with the matchups. We press like him, we trap like him, his offsets are like ours. That’s why I don’t like the game. I don’t think it’s fair. This is anybody’s game; it’s not 1-16.”

Manhattan coach Steve Masiello, the junior partner of a lengthy, close relationship, was also upset about coaching against his mentor, “It’s just not fun for me going against someone I have to try to beat, and, almost in my mind, think negatively about. It’s hard for me to do that.”

Masiello has had a positive and close relationship with Pitino for nearly a quarter of a century. As a youngster of 12, Masiello was ball boy for the Pitino coached New York Knicks. He followed Pitino to the University of Kentucky, where he played as a reserve on Pitino’s team. Encouraged by Pitino to be a coach, Masiello served as one of Pitino’s assistants at Louisville from 2005-2011.

He was hired as the head coach at Manhattan three years ago. He had worked at the college a decade earlier as an assistant coach.

Each team played with a full effort and each coach made every move to ensure a victory for his team.

Louisville took an early lead, but the score was knotted at 8 at 16:30. The Cardinals led throughout the rest of the first half, raising their advantage to a game high eight points, 31-23, with 2:23 on the clock. The Cardinals led, 35-29, at the half.

The Jaspers scored eight unanswered points to begin the second half and take their first lead of the contest, 37-35, at 16:21. The Jaspers did not lead again until 4:57 and the score was tied four additional times, the final time with two minutes left in the contest. Experienced Louisville guard Luke Hancock then took the game over with the score knotted at 60 by scoring eight consecutive points, two threes and two free throws.

Louisville was victorious by a score of 71-64. Before leaving the court, Pitino praised his former player and assistant Masiello in the highest terms, “That’s one of the best coaching jobs I’ve seen in my 39 years.

The Manhattan players and staff should return to the Bronx with their heads held high. Louisville will move to the second round to face the St. Louis Billikins on Saturday.

BRONX NEW, MARCH 19-On Tuesday morning, Phil Jackson returned to the scene of his first success in the NBA, Madison Square Garden. The 68-year-old former player and coach was present for a press conference in which it was announced that he signed a 5-year contract to be the President of the New York Knicks.

Named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame several years ago, Jackson has compiled one of the most impressive marks in NBA history. He has the highest winning percentage of any NBA coach, .704, and his teams have won a record 11 NBA titles.

Jackson was also part of the two championship years of the New York franchise, 1970 and 1973, as a player. As a reminder of those highly respected teams, teammates Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Dick Barnett, and the son of Dave DeBusschere were at the conference. Messages were read from another teammate, Willis Reed, and the daughter of their beloved, late coach “Red”’ Holtzman.

The happiest words that fans of the Knicks heard were spoken by owner James Dolan. He affirmed he would “willingly and gratefully cede authority” to Phil Jackson on basketball decisions. Dolan admitted, “I think I’m a little out of my element when it comes to the team. My whole job now is supporting them [Jackson and General Manager Steve Mills] in winning a championship.”

Dolan also said of Jackson, “Phil has a vision for the Knicks to put us on the path to success. Phil will be in charge of all basketball operations.”

Jackson accepted that statement as a proviso for his accepting the position with the Knicks, “I wouldn’t come if that hadn’t happened.”

After such great success with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Jackson is returning where he began in the NBA. Although he has children, grandchildren and a girlfriend living in California and must be there for medical treatments, Jackson will make the move east, “Moving to the city is difficult but important. I’ll be moving back and forth, but this is where I’ll establish myself.”

His experience has taught him, “This is the best place to play basketball. There’s no better place to win than in New York City. We’re going to make it here.”

He also explained the reason for accepting an executive rather than a position on the court, “I’m too old to play and too lame to coach. I got intrigued to enter into an executive, management position.”

Of the people Jackson was asked to comment on were Carmelo Anthony and current coach Mike Woodson. He spoke positively and carefully of each. Of Anthony he said, “I think Carmelo, as great a player as he is, has another level he can go to.” On the previous day, Anthony spoke with humility regarding cooperating with Jackson, “I’m still willing to learn. I haven’t won anything.”

Regarding Woodson, Jackson remarked, “Mike has shown he’s a very good basketball coach. He hopes the coach can lead the team the playoffs this year. He expected to meet with Woodson at the end of the season to discuss the future.

He spoke in relatively general terms of the principles he espouses, a team game and a system like the Triangle Offense, “I believe in system basketball.”

He expects 2015 to be the year of great improvement. There will be a larger number of renowned free agents available than this year. Jackson added, perhaps to encourage Anthony and the fans, “We’re looking forward to another solid contributor to help Carmelo.”

Pineda Lands Spot as Yankee StarterBy Rich MancusoBRONX NEW, MARCH 19- Michael Pineda has finally arrived for the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old right-hander, who underwent left shoulder surgery almost two years ago, just about solidified a fifth start in the Yankees rotation after another outstanding outing on the mound Tuesday in a spring start against the Red Sox down in Tampa Florida.

From all indications the competition is over. Manager Joe Girardi has no choice but to anoint Pineda as one of the five in the Yankees pitching rotation. The questions about Pineda’s fastball remain, but his comeback looks to be complete, Pineda has been a question mark since that trade from Seattle that brought him to the Bronx for two pitchers and a catcher, Jesus Montero in the off-season of January 2012. The Yankees, at the time took a risk because it was always thought that Montero would be an eventual successor for Jorge Posada.

After the trade, Pineda developed problems with the shoulder and underwent surgery. He sat out the entire 2012 season and attempted to throw a ball last year in spring training. The Yankees, until now, appeared to be losers in the deal.

But Pineda went through extensive rehab that now has propelled him to be the projected number 5 starter for the Yankees.

“We got to figure out what’s best for our team overall,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, after Pineda struck out five, gave up no runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Girardi would like to see Pineda go longer in another game or two before the team breaks camp next week and heads to opening day in two weeks at Houston.

If Pineda is indeed healthy, it makes the Yankees that much better in the pitching rotation. There are expectations that a slimmer CC Sabathia will have the velocity and have a comeback season as the ace. And though these are spring games that mean nothing, the other three projected Yankees starters appear to be ready for the season.

That includes one of their prize off-season investments, Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka who had no issue throwing to Major League hitters. Pineda, from all accounts had his slider clocked at 85. The fastball may never get back to 97, but his command and consistency throwing at 92 have made an impression.

This is what the Yankees were hoping for, though it has taken some time. There were thoughts of releasing Pineda last year when two attempts at getting a start did not materialize because there were recurring issues with the shoulder.

GM Brian Cashman, and the Yankees hierarchy would not take no as an answer. The trade to get Pineda was supposed to supplement Sabathia in the rotation and they gave up Montero who was considered a top prospect. Ivan Nova was another prospect at the time, who is projected to be a number four starter in the rotation.

Girardi added, “He (Pineda) does not look like a guy who’s coming back from a serious injury.” In his rookie season of 2011 with Seattle, Pineda went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in 28 starts and finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

So, unless something goes wrong in the next 10 days, Pineda appears to be a lock for the rotation. And that only makes the Yankees more formidable on the mound and leaves Cashman with a smile.
Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso www.newyorksportsexaminer.com

BRONX NEWS, MARCH 14- The high flying Dayton Flyers (23-9) triumphed over the Rams of Fordham (10-21) after a first half of nearly unstoppable shooting from the floor, (17 for 27) 63 percent. At the same time, they prevented Fordham from putting the ball in the basket. Fordham only netted 9 for 33 (27.3 percent) during the first half.

A 3 pointer by Vee Sanford at 15:51 raised the lead of the Flyers to double digits. His first basket of the contest set the tone for a perfect shooting game for the 6-4 senior. When the buzzer sounded to end the game, Sanford had netted all nine of his shots from the floor, three of three from beyond the arc and both of his attempts from the free throw line.

After the contest, Sanford responded to the praise of a reporter, “Far from being perfect. Just a good night and I’m glad my teammates could find me. I think the last game I had like this was in high school.”

After the score, 18-8, reached double figures again, the Flyers continued to increase their lead until reaching a game high lead of 22 (47-25) with 1:58 left on the clock in the first half. The score was 50-31 at the half.

Each coach described his team’s performance in the initial period. Fordham’s Tom Pecora remarked, “We started the game like we ran out of gas. We were tired from last night. They [Dayton] really made some great shots.”

On the other hand, Archie Miller of Dayton opined, “I thought we got off to an outstanding start on both ends of the floor.”

The Rams began the second half with great intensity and improved shooting. The Rams cut the deficit to seven at 14:30 after a beginning scoring run of 17-5. Pecora explained his halftime talk to his team, “I didn’t even yell to be quite honest…I really just talked to them about having pride…If you go out and you give the effort you’re capable of, the score will take care of itself. Maybe we’ll get back in the game and maybe we’ll steal it.”

Although Fordham outscored Dayton , 43-37, in the second half, the Rams could not prevent Dayton from shooting more than 50 percent from the floor. Thus, the lead increased to 87-74 at the conclusion of the contest.

At the conclusion of the game, Miller stated, “Advancing is the greatest feeling in the world this time of year.” His team did advance and will face the #4 seed Saint Joseph’s, on Friday afternoon in the quarter-finals.

Branden Frazier, a young man from the neighborhood where Barclays is located, ended his career at Fordham in sterling fashion by scoring 30 points. The result of his effort raised his career point total at Fordham to 1,642 and his total of assists to 492.

The 6-1 senior explained the meaning of ending his college career in his own neighborhood, “It was good to be home, growing up down the block. I just felt comfortable playing and had a lot of friends and family here…To have everyone stand up for me and clapping, even people who were not Fordham fans, meant a lot to me, just to go down and hug every single person that I went to battle with in every game is special.”

Pecora talked of his respect for Frazier, “He was coming with us at Hofstra and when I decided to make a move and come to Fordham, it was one of the first phone calls I got…Branden said ’Coach, I’m with you, it you’ll have me.’ He’s grown as a player; he’s grown as a person; he’s graduating; he’s a fine student, and you can see the way people react to him here and everywhere. He’s just a wonderful kid. I have an 11 year-old son and if he can be like him, I’d be blessed.”

BRONX NEWS, MARCH 13- As this year’s Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament included all teams in the conference, the last place Fordham Rams were given an opportunity to participate. The Rams last took part in the tourney in 2008. Their most recent tournament victory was a 63-61 win over the Richmond Spiders in 2007. Thus, Fordham’s (10-20) defeat of the George Mason Patriots (11-20) on Wednesday night at Barclays Center was a source of pride and satisfaction to the team and staff, Fordham students, alumni and its fans.

A free throw by 6-8 junior Erik Copes of George Mason began the scoring. A jump shot by Brooklyn native Bryan Smith of the Rams gave Fordham its first advantage at 18:58. Fordham kept that lead throughout the game. An 18-9 scoring run by the Rams capped by a jumper by freshman Jon Severe at 11:32 raised the Fordham lead to double figures for the first time in the contest. Four times later in the first half the Rams reached their highest advantage of the contest, 11 points. The Rams led, 33-26, at the half.

Early in the second half, six unanswered points by Fordham allowed the Rams to again achieve an 11 point lead, 29-28, at 17:16. A 15-5 run by the Patriots mid-way through the second half cut the deficit to a single point , 48-47 with 9:02 remaining in the game.

In the final minute of the game, nine players had opportunities from the free throw line. Five fouls were committed by George Mason with the hope of catching up to Fordham in the last 60 seconds. Four Patriots were also sent to the charity stripe by Fordham fouls even though the Rams were leading.

Fordham coach Tom Pecora commented on his strategy, “I’m a convert [to fouling to prevent a basket from being scored]. You got to foul. They’re so good in shooting.”

Free throws were a factor in Fordham’s 70-67 victory. In the first half, Fordham missed its only free throw attempt. In the second half, the Rams netted 21 of 31 from the charity stripe. In contrast, the Patriots only had 17 free throw attempts and sunk 11 of the shots, a 10 point disadvantage in a game they lost by three. Of the calls, Pecora said he advised his team, “Do everything hard. You can get the respect of the officials.”

Fordham controlled the boards, 50-42, thanks to the rebounding of Ryan Canty, who pulled down 19 boards. Pecora opined, “It was a career night for Ryan Canty. He’s a great rebounder. Senior Branden Frazier surmised, “He [Canty] enjoys rebounding and the team feeds off that.”

For Brooklyn natives Frazier and Smith of Fordham the trip home was very meaningful. Frazier remarked, “I grew up down the block. Being in Brooklyn helped us a lot.” Smith was especially pleased to see family and friends in the arena, “A lot of people who couldn’t come to Fordham to see me came here today.”

Of the two, Pecora said, “It took guts for them to come to Fordham. They were highly recruited.”

Fordham advances to play the 5th seed, the Dayton flyers, on Thursday afternoon.

BRONX NEWS, MARCH 12- Representatives of the Bronx will be participants in March Madness of 2014 as the Manhattan Jaspers men and the Fordham Rams women automatically qualified for the NCAA National Tournament by virtue of winning their conference tournaments.

The Manhattan Jaspers (25-7) reversed last year’s MAAC Tournament final result by defeating the 1st seeded Iona Gaels by three points, 71-68, on Monday night, to advance to the NCAA National Tournament. The second seeded Jaspers advanced to the final contest by a win over Saint Peter’s and Quinnipiac in earlier rounds of the tourney.

The victory over Iona advanced the Jaspers into the true March Madness for the fourth time. They last were in the nationals a decade ago, 2004. Prior to that year, they were in the NCAA’s in 2003 and 1993. Interestingly, their current head coach, Steve Masiello was an assistant coach in the successes of 2003 and 2004.

One day earlier the women hoopsters of Fordham University (25-7) captured the Atlantic-10 Tournament with a 63-51 victory over the 1st seeded Dayton Flyers. This tournament title was the first for the Rams in the respected athletic conference. The Rams advanced to the National Tournament for the second time. Their last appearance was 20 years ago, 1994.

At 16:09, Dayton was up by 8-2. A jumper by senior Abigail Corning at 3:05 gave the Rams their first lead of the game. The Flyers, as they had for most of the first half, led at the half, 30-29.

The game was competitive throughput the early minutes of the second half. After a tie at 43 was broken by two free throws by Emily Tapio at 13:07, the Rams never again lost the lead. Stephanie Gaitley, the Fordham head coach, remarked, “They were very focused. Confidence grew as we came down the stretch.”

Though many of the more than 600 athletes from 74 teams representing 14 states said they had never competed in the world's most famous indoor track facility, much less visited NY, there were comfortable smiles on the faces of Mustangs athletes as they entered the very-familiar Armory on Friday.

"This is our home, this is where we practice every day," said assistant coach Shirvon Greene. "We are proud hosts and came ready to do our best."

Numerous Mustangs achieved All-American status and one of Monroe's best performances came right away. The meet touched off with the distance medley relay on Friday afternoon and the Monroe men (Ronaldo Ball, Walter Penate,Alexshandro Rodriguez, and Katleho Dyoyi) set a school record, finishing third in a time of 10:08:17.

On Saturday South African freshman Sabelo Ndlovu finished third in the triple jump, launching 15.29m (50.02').

"This was a full weekend of Mustang pride," said head coach Mark Goodman. "It was kind of amazing to bring an event of this magnitude to New York. But I have to give our athletes credit. Despite the potential for distraction, for the large part, they stayed focused and performed well. This was a wonderful weekend for the college and for all the coaches and athletes who came to New York City to compete."

In the much anticipated men's 1000m, the so-called 'Legion of Doom' (so-named by Coach Greene) featuring top ranked Ronaldo Ball and Dyoyi, the Monroe duo ran neck-and-neck finishing fourth (Ball – 2:27:92) and fifth (Dyoyi – 2:27:98). Remarkably only .06 of a second separated the two Mustangs.

Dyoyi also ran the mile finishing seventh overall with a time of 4:15:72.

Monroe's Christopher Belcher placed eighth in the 200m dash, breaking the school record in the prelims with his 21.42. In the men's 600m Joel Johnson finished sixth with school record time of 1:21.01.

In the women's 200m, Monroe's Sarah Atcho ran a wonderful 24:39, good for second place in Friday's prelims. In the finals on Saturday, she was a notch better, running a new school record in 24:30, which was good for fourth place.

Another piece of Monroe history was set at this year's Nationals as freshman Rashema Briscoe became Monroe's first-ever pentathalete. She placed 10th.

In the women's 400m run, Jessica Barrera finished ninth overall in her fastest time of the season, 57.67

"We knew that it would be a really special thing to have all the teams from around the country come to New York City," said Coach Goodman, "and the people here will have a very wonderful perspective of what the college is about and what we do here."

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 10- For the Monroe Mustangs women's basketball team, it starts with their defense. And they used that defense to finish off two District opponents this weekend in Franklin MA to take the District N Championship and earn themselves a remarkable 11th consecutive trip to an NJCAA National Tournament. On Saturday, Monroe downed Manor College (NY) 78-50 and on Sunday, they took care of Essex (NJ) 76-57 to win their fourth District championship in the last five years.

"We are peaking at just the right time," said head coach James Robinson Jr. "Our defense keys everything else and right now we are committed to the energy that it takes to play good defense. I also have to say that every player on this team knows they're important and so on any given night, any give player can be key. This is a great way to get set for a national tournament."

In the win over Manor on Saturday, 11 of the 12 mustangs who got in the game got on the board. Aaliyah Mercer had 16 points and Tiashana Morris had 10. Tiara Brown also had 10 and she added 10 rebounds for a nifty double/double.

The finals win on Sunday was ignited by a dominant first half by Breana Bey who finished with 25 points, 21 of them coming in the first half as she displayed an awesome inside game. She shot 11/13 from the field. Eli Rojas was a virtual force for Monroe pulling down seventeen rebounds to go along with her ten points. Mercer had 11 points and Brown had 12.

Aaliyah Mercer was named Player of the Year in Region XV and after the game Coach Robinson took home the District Coach of the Year award. Monroe is now 22-10 on the season.

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 10- The Fordham Rams (9-20, 2-4) ended the regular season at home on Saturday afternoon. The contest was exciting, hard-fought and extremely competitive and played before a capacity crowd. The Rams were edged by the George Washington Colonials (23-7, 11-5), 70-67.

The game had everything the Fordham fans could have wanted to witness except a positive result. The lead alternated 14 times and the score was knotted on 15 occasions. In the first half, neither team could amass a scoring run larger than six unanswered points as the Rams did mid-way through the first half when they changed a 14-15 deficit to a 20-15 advantage. That five-point lead was the highest either team could compile during the contest.

After not trailing for more than 10 minutes in the second half, the Rams hit a wall. The visitors scored nine unanswered points in the waning minutes of the contest to turn a 56-51 deficit with 5:10 remaining to play into a 65-61 lead that would not be overturned.

Branden Frazier, a Fordham senior, had an exciting and quite successful final performance. He scored 28 grabbed 8 boards and threw 4 assists. He said he hoped it would help fans, “to remember what I did.”

Traditionally, prior to the final home game of the season, the seniors on the team are honored. Two of the three, Leo Walsh and Khalid Robinson, joined the team as walk-ons. Although they have obtained little playing time, their courage to enlist without scholarships cannot be questioned.

Walsh, a communications major from Pennsylvania, did not join the squad until the middle of his junior season. He appeared in four games last year and five this season.

Robinson is a New York City native, who attended Fordham Prep prior to his college years. He suited up for the first of his 39 games on the team as a sophomore.

Brandon Frazier, the third senior honored, has been a starter in each of his years at Fordham. The native of Brooklyn graduated from Bishop Loughlin High School, where he excelled on the court. Prior to his first game as a Ram, Frazier had already played at the Rose Hill Gym and at Madison Square Garden.

Frazier has been one of the most prolific scorers in Fordham history, compiling 1,598 points, ninth in career scoring totals at the school. The unselfish player has also helped others on the team compile points as he has dished 487 assists, second in the Fordham career rankings.

After his final game at home, the Communications major discussed the importance of his time at Fordham, “It was the best decision I made. Fordham has made me a man. Basketball isn’t everything. I’m leaving Fordham but Fordham is never leaving me.”

Tom Pecora, Fordham’s head coach, remarked on his star senior, “He’s grown into a great Fordham man. He set the foundation for us. When we’re winning next year, I’m going to mention Branden a lot.”

This year, every team in the Atlantic-10 Conference will participate in next week’s conference tournament. The last place Rams will face George Mason in the first game on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Barclays. The winner will advance to play the #5 seed at 2:30 pm on Thursday. The losing team’s season will conclude on Wednesday.

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 3- Utilizing their deep and talented front line, not to mention their defensive intensity and breakaway speed, the Monroe Mustangs women's basketball team convincingly defeated Dean College at the MAC ,91-78 on Sunday afternoon to take the Region XV Championship. Technically it's their first Region title since the 2008-09 season when they were a DIII team (now they're DII), even though they've won two National and three District titles over that span.

Monroe accomplished their feat this weekend by defeating CCRI in the semifinal game, 83-70 on Saturday and following it up with the finals win over Dean on Sunday. Monroe is now 20-10 on the season.

"We've said all along that we were going to develop and be ready by playoff time," said Coach James Robinson Jr., "and clearly we are. I'm so proud of how hard they've worked to get here and we're going to use all the things we've learned about defense, about our running game, and about sharing the ball the rest of the way. We intend to play and conduct ourselves like champions and you saw what that means today."

Because two teams from the Region qualify for the Districts, Saturday's win was the one that got Monroe to next weekend's Tournament. Sunday's title win then became icing on the cake. Interestingly, in 2011-12, Monroe lost in the Region final, but went on to win the National Championship anyway.

Monroe's formula in both of the Region Tournament games was a trapping defense, superior inside play off the boards offensively in the paint, and an up-tempo style that left both the Knights and Bulldogs a step behind. Their deep bench was also a key.

The Mustangs had 30 more points in the paint than the Knights did. On Sunday, Monroe got an incredible 82 of their 91 points in the lane. Their fast break was also working, netting a total of 28 points in the two games.

Tiara Brown was a force all weekend, averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games, including an 18-point, 10-rebound double/double on Sunday. She shot a phenomenal 16/22 in the two games (72.7 percent). Eli Rojas was also key for Monroe averaging eleven points and 11.5 rebounds in the two games. She had 15 rebounds against Dean.

"It's really hard to single anyone out on this team," said Coach Robinson. "You could go up and down our roster and see that everyone contributed and that's the way we like it. The Mustangs are a team."

The District Tournament will be a two-round affair on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 at Dean College in Franklin, MA. If Monroe wins two games they will qualify for their eleventh consecutive National Tournament. They'll play Manor College on Saturday at 4:00pm. The finals are set for Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 3- The season’s second largest crowd (3,017) at Fordham’s Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx left disappointed after Saturday’s contest in which the Fordham Rams (9-18, 2-12) were defeated on a buzzer beating layup by Tareek Duren, which gave the 64-62 victory to the La Salle Explorers (14-14, 6-8).

The disappointment was magnified as it appeared to many of the onlookers that the game was headed to overtime when senior Brandon Frazier blocked Duran’s attempt at a game winning layup. The officials decided the game was not over and resumed play with 0.07 on the clock. Duren was not to be denied as he netted his fourth field goal to win the game.

La Salle got off early and led 9-0 at 15:43. A free throw by Sam Mills at 12:24 raised the lead to double figures, 14-4, for the first time in the game. At 9:23, a layup by Steve Zack brought the Explorers their largest lead of the game, 21-6. The Rams did not reach double figures until 11 minutes and 30 seconds had elapsed when a basket by Ryan Rhoomes gave them a total of 10 points but they finished the first half by outscoring the visitors 21-9 to cut the deficit to three, 30-27.

The visitors increased their lead to double figures again (42-32) when Jerrell Wright scored at 15:23 of the second half. A 14-5 scoring run culminated with two free throws netted by Fordham freshman Jon Severe cut the La Salle advantage to a single point with 11:15 remaining. Although the Rams never led, a jumper by Bryan Smith knotted the score at 62 with 35.6 seconds on the clock.

Frazier’s 23 points and six assists were the high totals for either team. His 1,548 points is ninth in Fordham career scoring and his 476 assists ranks second in team history.

The tie was as close as Fordham was able to get. The loss dropped the Rams to undisputed last place in the Atlantic-10 Conference with two games left to play. Fordham travels to Rhode Island on March 5 and then returns home to host the George Washington Colonials.

BRONX, NEW YORK, MARCH 3- On the last day of February, two elite teams of the Metropolitan Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Manhattan Jaspers (21-7, 14-5) and the Iona Gaels (19-9, 16-3) engaged in a hard-fought and thrilling contest that was not decided until the final seconds of overtime. The game had been tied nine times with the lead changing hands on 13 occasions. The result of this contest at the Draddy Gym in Riverdale was quite different than the first between the two schools this season played on the last day of January that was won by Iona, 85-73.

The Jaspers took an early 11-6 lead that was followed by 11 unanswered points by the Gaels. With Iona leading, 20-13, the Jaspers’ eight straight points gave them a 21-20 advantage. The lead gravitated back and forth several times until the final four minutes of the first half when Manhattan outscored Iona, 9-2 to end the half ahead by a score of 45-35. That was the only double figure lead of the close contest.

Despite the Manhattan lead, Iona had a higher percentage of success from the floor. This was nullified by the control of the offensive boards by the Jaspers which allotted them nine more shots than Iona.

An opening 10-3 scoring run by the Gaels in the second half lowered the deficit to three points, 48-45. At 13:49, a basket by junior Emmy Andujar raised Manhattan’s lead to seven, 54-47. The two points broke his career high of 19. The score was tied at 61 with 7:30 remaining. It was knotted three more times in regulation including at 71 when time ran out.

Andujar’s performance in the five minutes of overtime was crucial to the Manhattan victory. After stealing the basketball, he successfully drove to the basket and was fouled. The three points broke a 73 tie and that lead was never overturned. The visitors had possession with Manhattan leading, 80-77, but did not make the shot. Andujar was the leading scorer of the game with a single game career high of 28.

As it was the final home game of the season, three Manhattan seniors were honored prior to the game. Michael Alvarado suffered an ankle injury after being on court only six minutes. His one assist and three points raised his career totals to 1,374 points and 353 assists.

George Beamon recorded his fifth double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds). His 1,778 career points ranks fourth in the college’s totals.

The other senior, Rhamel Brown scored 9, grabbed 9 boards and blocked 4 shots. He ranks second in shots blocked in the NCAA this year and is first as a Jasper with 367. He is eighth at Manhattan with 781 boards and has scored 1,108 points. This is the first time in Manhattan history when each of three seniors have scored more than 1,000 points at the school.